Love Isn't Always Saccharine Sweet
by ang3licstar
Summary: INDEFINITE HIATUS. UP FOR ADOPTION. WITH PERMISSION ONLY.
1. Chapter 1

_**Two Months Ago**_

"But do you really have to go?" he said looking into her eyes.

He was a really reserved man and not everyone got to see him being openly vulnerable, only her. And now he was watching her pack her bags in their apartment that they had chosen a decorated together, getting ready to leave him in pursuit of her future. Many people who did not know the story of how they got together would wonder why an uncommon beauty like her would fall for a guy like him and stay with him for 5 years. He often wondered how he got so lucky. She wasn't an open person herself, and she had her scars, but they understood each other, and even though they were years apart in age, they found something in each other that they could not live without.

Bringing himself back to the present, he watched as she gave him a look, a look that said "I'm-tired-of-this-conversation-but-I-still-wanna-sleep-with-you". She put down the shirt she was folding into her duffel bag and sat in his lap.

"Babe, we talked about this. It's a really great program, and I'd only be there until it comes time for my fellowship. After that I'd be right back here with you. Come on; tell me what's really wrong."

"I'm gonna miss you," he stated truthfully. It was futile to lie to this woman.

"I'm gonna miss you too. I'll be back before you know it. And I'll visit as often as I can," she stated caressing the hairs at the nape of his neck.

"You. Lie." He said with a pout.

"What can I do to make you believe me?"

"Marry me."

"What?" She said looking into his eyes, surprise and overwhelming emotions evident in hers.

He sat her down on the chair beside him and proceeded to pull a velvet box out of his pocket and kneel down on one knee, exposing the 6-carat diamond encrusted ring that he had picked put for her weeks before news of the move was even considered.

"I love you so much. I know that you don't hear it that often, but we don't have to say anything to each other with our words alone. I want you to go and grab this great opportunity. But when you get back, I want to make this thing between us legitimate. Will you marry me?"

By this point, the tears were flowing freely from her eyes. She didn't know what to say. Only he could be so sweet and so self centered at the same time. She looked down to the gorgeous ring that was now adorning her ring finger.

She looked him straight in his eyes.

"Are you sure this isn't a last ditch attempt to get goodbye sex?" she said seriously.

"Well, that too obviously." He said as he rolled his eyes at her stupid question.

She jumped into his arms and kissed him with everything she had.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes."

* * *

_**Present Day**_

_**Princeton Plainsborough Teaching Hospital**_

"Where the hell is he?"

Lisa Cuddy had been all over the hospital looking for House, again. She had a very important case for him that had the potential to not only bring in much needed donors, but also to establish a great professional partnership with another well known teaching hospital.

Looking around the room, she saw Foreman, Cameron, Wilson and Chase giving her sympathetic looks. None of them knew where the man went when he didn't want to be found. Except for Wilson, he kept his distance from all of them. He was like the wind, which was surprising for someone in his condition.

"Calm down cuddles. I'm right here. Damn, sleep with a girl once and she won't back off of you." Gregory House stated hobbling into the lounge.

"Where the hell have you been, I've been looking for you for two hours." She said seething at this man. If he wasn't so damn good at his job...

"Oh...put it away, I'm here now. Your lives are complete. Don't get your fun bags in a knot."

"I need you to get on a plane, I have a case that needs tending to." She said throwing the patients file at the man.

"What no please? By the way, this patient isn't even at this hospital, you're pimping me out?" He said looking at th folder, and not really caring.

"It's for a little girl. Besides, I'm your boss, remember?"

Looking closer at the file, he noticed something very important that he had overlooked before.

Looking at the other occupant of the room, he said, "pack your bags, we leave tonight."

With that he got up and made his way out of the hospital, leaving five very shocked colleagues in his wake.

* * *

_**Two Days Later**_

_**Seattle Grace Hospital**_

"So, did you hear? They're bringing in some hotshot to consult on your case," Christina Yang said to her colleague Meredith Grey. They had worked together for about a month and a half and were closer to each other than to the others, save for one Alex Karev.

"Yeah, this one's got me stumped, and I've been in situations like this before," Meredith replied truly puzzled.

When Katie came into the hospital at the beginning of her shift one month ago, Meredith had correctly diagnosed the busted aneurysm that was afflicting the little girl. She was responding well to treatments and went home. That is until a few days ago she had started seizing arbitrarily and was continuing to get worse.

"It could be a number of things, her symptoms just don't add up." Yang interjected.

"Well, I guess it's this guy's job to figure out what we missed."

With that they got up and ready to meet this mystery doctor.

In the hospital lobby, Meredith was preparing the charts from Katie's previous stay at the hospital for this new doctor to get a look at. Bailey was giving her fellow interns the speech about representing her, the hospital and not screwing up.

Dr. Shepherd came up beside her while she was noting something on the chart.

"So, after your shift today, you want to get a drink?"

"Dr. Shepherd, I already told you no." Meredith stated hoping to end the conversation. He had been actively pursuing her since the hospital mixer and would not leave her alone. If he wasn't the best neurosurgeon on the coast, she would tell him which way to fuck himself. But as it stood, she had to grin and bear his presence.

"Come on, one drink wouldn't hurt. After we leave the hospital we become just two regular people." He said trying to convince her to give him a chance. For some reason he felt drawn to this woman.

Out of nowhere a voice said, "Back off pretty boy, she's mine."

Derek looked around to see who had interrupted his conversation. As he did so, he noticed Meredith putting on the biggest smile he'd seen he have since she got there.

"Greg," she whispered and dropped her pen on the chart.

Pushing Derek out of the way she ran to the man she had only been able to keep in contact with via phone sex and e-mails for two months.

Approaching him, she quickly jumped on him, straddled his waist and proceeded to practically make out with him in the middle of the hospital.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Five and a Half Years Ago**_

"Hey Meredith," Lisa Cuddy called out to her newest protégé. She had just signed Meredith Grey on as a volunteer at PPTH to work under her for the girls' volunteer hours towards her medical licence. After she informed the girl, who was a few years younger than her in age, but in maturity was jus her size, that she got the position, she decided to invite the girl out for a celebratory drink.

Meredith caught a glimpse of her new boss and friend and made her way to where she was sitting. After a few greetings, they relaxed into the atmosphere and just talked for hours. They were in the middle of a joke when they heard a voice behind them.

"Haven't seen you around here in a while Cuddles," said a gruff voice. When both girls turned around to address the owner of the voice, Lisa rolled her eyes at who she saw, but Meredith was immediately captivated. Neither Lisa, nor Jimmy, who had been standing behind his friend missed the immediate sparks that passed between the two people they were with.

House did something that he never did before; he stuck out his hand to introduce himself to the girl who had caught his interest. "Hi, I'm Greg," he said while taking the young woman's hand into his own. He couldn't help but marvel how well in fit into his own. It was somehow natural. "Hi, I'm Meredith," she responded. It wasn't lost on their companions the way the two held hands for much longer than was necessary. For the rest of the night they would trade sardonic insults and joke freely with one another, all while forgetting about the people they originally came with.

_**

* * *

**_

Present Day

As the doctors around them looked on, Meredith had slid down House's body until she was standing on her tippy toes. House's hands, for the most part had moved from her waist to grope her ass. As they stood there, unabashedly making out for the next five minutes, Meredith was brought out of her blissful reverie by the sound of Bailey clearing her throat. She disengaged her lips from House's and turned around to meet the gaze of her un-amused resident.

"Oh, Hi Dr Bailey," Meredith said bashfully, now fully realizing that she was making out with her boyfriend in a hospital.

"What the hell do you think youre doing?" Bailey asked in a voice that said, 'tread lightly'.

Before Meredith could respond, House beat her to it. "Wait a minute. You're Dr. Bailey."

Miranda looked at him and answered, "Yeah."

"Just my luck. The one doctor whose reputation I actuall admired and it turns out to be a chick. I thought you were supposed to have balls the size of Texas?"

"Excuse me. Anyways, Meredith, what is going?"

Richard came upon the now large crowd and stuck his hand out to House, "welcome Dr. House. I'm so glad you could come and help us out."

House was about to make some sarcastic remark until a shrill voice came up from behind him, "Greg couldn't you have waited until the damn cab stopped before you jumped out?! Do you know how much I had to tip the man?"

When all eyes turned towards her a look of realization dawned on her. "Oh, my God. I totally forgot who works here."

Meredith moved from her place at House's side and ran to her long-time friend and former employer. "Hey Cuddles."

As the two embraced Bailey finally had enough. "Will someone tell me what the heck is going on here."

All the chattering stopped. Meredith walked back to House and put her arms around him.

"Dr. Bailey, everyone," she started looking at everyone, even the three people that had followed Cuddy onto the surgical floor, "this is Gregory House. My fiancée."

You could hear a pin drop and surprised Christina Yang mutter. "Just. Freakin'. Great."


	3. Chapter 3

Last time

"But do you really have to go?"

"I'm gonna miss you," he stated truthfully. It was futile to lie to this woman.

"I'm gonna miss you too. I'll be back before you know it. And I'll visit as often as I can," she stated caressing the hairs at the nape of his neck.

"Marry me."

"Are you sure this isn't a last ditch attempt to get goodbye sex?"

"I need you to get on a plane; I have a case that needs tending to." She said throwing the patients file at the man.

"Back off pretty boy, she's mine."

"Will someone tell me what the heck is going on here?"

"This is Gregory House. My fiancée."

"Just. Freakin'. Great."

* * *

"What do you mean _fiancée?_"

"Are you serious?"

"Way to go Grey."

The couple was being bombarded with comment left, right and center. As their colleagues (on both sides save for Richard, Bailey, Cuddy and James) all added their two cents, Meredith looked to House in a pleading look in her eyes. Getting the look, the one that made him do anything she wanted, like that one time in Princeton where she asked him to..., getting back to the point, House made a quick decision, his favourite type of decision to make, he banged his cane against the nurses' desk effectively ending the entire conundrum.

"Now if we could get back to business, other than whom I am screwing, I believe I'm here to save a life you can't. Who's the moron on the case?" House stated looking at everyone.

Not knowing whether or not to take offence, Derek stepped up trying to look like the height of professionalism. "That would be me Dr. House. I'm..." he started to introduce himself but House cut him to the quick.

"Oh yes, Dr. Pretty-boy Shepherd, Neurologist extraordinaire blah, blah, blah. Where's the patient's file."

Offended, he quickly handed the file to House and they all watched as he perused it. "Are all of you going to stand there or do you actually save lives here?" he said not looking up at the crowd.

Bailey took charge of her suckups, "O'Malley, you're with Burke, Stevens and Karev, you're in Pits. Now get to it people." As she watched them scuffle away, she couldn't help but notice Grey moving to her side expecting to receive a different assignment from her, nor did Yang's expectant face (hoping to get this case) pass her notice either. Not only was Grey born for this, but she also happened to align herself with people who could get her far if she used her contact correctly. However, the fact that she was willing to do the grunt work and make a name for herself, by herself impressed Bailey. She filed this information away for later.

As House finished looking over the file, he took a glance at his team. Foreman looked indifferent, as always, Chase looked kind of pale, but professional, but Cameron was obviously seething with hostility and jealousy. He was going to have such fun playing with her.

"Who was the intern on this case that outsmarted you Dr. Pretty-boy?"

"That would be Dr. Grey."

"Well then I guess she'll be with me for the duration of my stay." Turning to his team he ordered a series of lab work to double check Shepherd's findings (he really didn't trust any man who would hit on his woman when she clearly said no) and went off to go find a guy in a coma. They always had t.v.'s in their rooms ironically.

Knowing what he was about to do, Meredith sent a look to her resident begging to take charge of her man. Bailey acquiesced and Meredith spoke up. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" she said startling her superiors and House's team.

House turned to her with an amused look on his face, "General Hospital's about to start. I hope you guys get the channels here."

"Greg, we did not fly you all the way here to watch soaps all day, you get paid enough to do that at home, and I have TiVo at my house. Now, I set up a conference room for you to do your differentials in, so get your ass to room 3 and do some work."

"And what's in it for me if I do?"

Cuddy cut in, "House...."

Meredith cut her off, "It's okay Lise, I've got this." She strode up to House with a swivel in her hips and a dark look in her eyes.

She turned to the chief and said, "Don't fire me."

Stunned by this sentence, they watched as she stood toe to toe with House. Then out of nowhere, her hands grabbed his stuff and gripped him hard.

"You are not going to come here and make me look bad. Do you know how hard I have to work here? Get your ass to the conference room now or next time I will use my teeth, and not in the way you like it."

She let go of him quickly and watched as he stumbled towards the room she indicated. "God, you're such a bitch. Why am I with you?" he grumbled.

She fell instep beside him after she grabbed her charts and led his team to the room they would use for the duration of their stay. "It's that thing that I do with my tongue. You know the one I tried to teach that hooker one time?"

Their banter continued as they were followed by an astonished team, and we watched by a jealous neurosurgeon, a jealous intern, stunned employers and smirking friends.

"Damn, someone can tame Gregory House", Richard stated shocked.

"You can see why I miss her in Princeton." Cuddy replied. "Shall we go to your office?"

Slowly but surely the nurses area was abandoned by the shrinking group, all of them with one thought in their heads.

"What the hell just happened?"


End file.
